Portable cabinet for tooth cleaning equipment



L. J HOSACK April 30, 1957 PORTABLE CABINET FOR TOOTH CLEANING EQUIPMENT Filed March 30, 1954 8% /7b Km United States Patent PORTABLE CABINET DR T OTH GLE N NG EQU PME T Luther J. Hosaclr, Tacoma, Wash. App ication Mar h 0, 1 .4, .Ss i lNo- 419,84 3 C a ms- (Ql- 312 2 This invention relates to cabinets for tooth cleaning equipment. i

An object of the, invention is .to provide a cabinet which may be attached upon a wall surface and used as a fixed repository for tooth brushes and tooth paste or may be removed from the wall and used as a portable container for such articles;

Another object of the invention is to provide a cabinet which may alternately be used as a rack for supporting tooth brushes, with the bristle portion exteriorly thereof and exposed to the air, or as a protective container completely enclosing the brushes.

Other objects'and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description considered in conj nc on h hea ta h d drawing in'whichi Figure 1 is aperspective view of the cabinet of. the presiellt nv on with. IhQ 190th brush compartments and the tooth paste compartment in thelopen position.

Figure 2 is a perspegtiye, new of the top portion of the cabinet of the present inyent' n, with the. tooth brush comn rt sn inv t e closed position.

Figure 3 is a view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, the reference numeral 1 designates generally a rectangular container having an open top 2. The container 1 is divided into three compartments 3, 4 and 5 by two vertical par titions 6 and 7 which are positioned within the container 1 in spaced parallel relation with respect to each other and with respect to the side walls 8 and 9 of the container 1. The mid portion of one of the end walls 10 of the container 1 is cut away, as shown at 11, to open one end of the center compartment 4. A door 12 is connected at one side of the wall 10 by means of hinges 13 for opening and closing movement with respect to the open end of the compartment 4. A frictional catch 14 is provided for holding the door 12 releasably in its closed position.

A cover, generally designated 15, is provided to close the open end 2 of the container 1. The cover 15 embodies a pair of horizontally disposed plates 16 and 17 arranged so that one end portion of the plate 16 overlaps the adjacent end of the plate 17, said plates 16 and 17 being mounted on the top 2 for independent longitudinal sliding movement from the aforesaid position to a position in which the other end portion of the plate 16 overlaps the other end portion of the plate 17. Specifically, the plates 16 and 17 are slightly wider than the opening in the top 2 but not quite so wide as the distance between the end Walls 10 and are supported and slidable upon a trackway, or flange 18, which extends inward horizontally from the said walls, a short distance below the overhanging rim of the top 2, and underlies the side edge portions of the plates. Similarly, a trackway 19 extends along the inward face of each of the walls 8 and 9 and supports the adjacent end edge portion of the plate 16 when said portion is adjacent the wall. The plates 16 and 17 are thus confined between the rim of the top 2 and the trackway 18 so that they cannot be withdrawn from the conp g d tainer. The plate 16 rests and slides upon the plate '17. Each of the plates 16 and '17 is somewhat shorter than the distance between the walls 8 and 9 but longer than half the distance. Thus, when the two plates are arranged to cover the opening in the top 2, in the position shown in Figure l, the end portion 16a, of the plate 16, positioned intermediate the walls 8 and 9, overlaps the end portion 17a of the plate 17, similarly positioned, the end portion 16b of the plate 16, positioned adjacent the wall 8, is ofiset from the plate 17 and the end portion 17b of the plate 17, positioned adjacent the wall 9, is otfset from the plate 16. When the plates are moved to the 'reverse position, as shown Figure 2, the end portions 16b and 17b overlap and the portions 16a and 17a are olfset.

At least one of the plates 16 and 17 is provided with an aperture in one of its end portions. Specifically, the plate 16 is provided with three spaced apertures 20 in the end portion 16a and the plate 17 is provided with three spaced apertures 21 in the end portion 17b. Obviously, when the plates are in the position shown in Figure l, the apertures 20 and 21 will be open and will communicate with the compartments 3 and 5 respectively. When the plates are, moved to the Opposite position, as shown in Figure 2, the apertures in each plate will be closed by the imperforate portion of the other plate. The apertures 20 and 21 are of greater length than width and when the plates are in the position shown in Figure 1, the apertures are adapted to suspendingly receive the handle of a tooth .brush with its handle depending into the underlying chamher, when the bristle portion is positioned transversely of the aperture and hung upon the portion of the plate adjacent the aperture. On the other hand, when the bristle portion-of the brush is turned longitudinally of the apertures 2tlor 2 1, the brush may be dropped through the. ap-

ertures into the compartment 3 or 5. The end portion 16b of the plate 16 is provided with an arcuate fingernail notch 22 in its free edge to facilitate the movement of the plate 16 from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 2. The plate 16 is also provided with a depressed portion 23 which bears against the adjacent end of the plate 17, when the plates are in the position shown in Figure l or the position shown in Figure 2, to releasably hold the plates in those positions.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description, that the cabinet of the present invention may be attached to a wall surface and used as a fixed repository for tooth cleaning equipment. With the plates in the position shown in Figure 1, toothbrushes may be hung upon the top of the cabinet with their handles depending into the compartments 3 and 5 and their bristle ends exteriorly of the top of the cabinet where they are open to the light and air. Alternatively, however, the brushes may be dropped through the openings 20 and 21 into the compartments 3 and 5 respectively and the plates 16 and 17 moved to the position shown in Figure 2, enclosing the brushes entirely. The compartment 4 may be used to hold tooth paste, dental. tape, or other tooth cleaning equipment, inserted through the open end 11, and may be closed at will by the door 12. The cabinet need not be used as a fixture inasmuch as it is of appropriate size and shape to be carried as a traveling case for tooth cleaning equipment. When so carried, the equipment will be placed wholly within the cabinet and the apertures 2t? and 21 and the door 12 closed to prevent loss of the equipment. Upon reaching the destination, however, the cabinet may be set upright on any available flat surface and will then offer all of the advantages of a Wall cabinet, as above described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a portable cabinet, a rectangular container having a closed bottom, an open top, and side walls and end walls, two vertical partitions spaced from the side walls and from each other and extending between said end walls, said partitions defining a middle compartment and side compartments on opposite sides of the middle compartment, a pair of elongated closure plates, said plates each being narrower than the distance between said side walls and wider than half the distance between the side walls, said plates being slidably imposed upon each other and arranged to overlap each other in open and closed positions of the plates, traclcways on the side walls and end walls in which edges of the plates are slidably confined, said plates being slidable relative to each other between closed positions in which the plates close the upper ends of the side compartments and the middle compartment and to open positions wherein the upper end of one of the side compartments is open and the upper end of the other side compartment is closed.

2. In a portable cabinet, a rectangular container having a closed bottom, an open top, and side walls and end walls, two vertical partitions spaced from the side walls and from each other and extending between said end walls, said partitions defining a middle compartment and side compartments on opposite sides of the middle compartment, a pair of elongated closure plates, said plates each being narrower than the distance between said side walls and wider than half the distance between the side walls, said plates being slidably imposed upon each other and arranged to overlap each other in open and closed positions of the plates, trackways on the side walls and end walls in which edges of the plates are slidably confined, said plates being slidable relative to each other between closed positions in which the plates close the upper ends of the side compartments and the middle compartment and to open positions wherein the upper end of one of the side compartments is open and the upper end of the other side compartment is closed, said plates having opposed laterally outward longitudinal edges facing the side walls of the container, said plates having longitudinal opening means extending along and spaced from said longitudinal edges and providing limited access to the side d compartments when the plates are in closed relation thereto.

3. In a portable cabinet, a rectangular container having a closed bottom, an open top, and side walls and end walls, two vertical partitions spaced from the side walls and from each other and extending between said end walls, said partitions defining a middle compartment and side compartments on opposite sides of the middle compartment, a pair of elongated closure plates, said plates each being narrower that the distance between said side walls and wider than half the distance between the side walls, said plates being slidably imposed upon each other and arranged to overlap each other in open and closed positions of the plates, trackways on the side walls and end walls in which edges of the plates are slidably confined, said plates being slidable relative to each other between closed positions in which the plates close the upper ends of the side compartments and the middle compartment and to open positions wherein the upper end of one of the side compartments is open and the upper end of the other side compartment is closed, said plates having opposed lateral- 1y outward longitudinal edges facing the side walls of the container, said plates having longitudinal opening means extending along and spaced from said longitudinal edges and providing limited access to the side compartments when the plates are in closed relation thereto, each of said opening means comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings of predetermined size and shape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 542,475 Hoare July 9, 1895 1,600,758 Goldstein Sept. 21, 1926 1,654,616 Spann Jan. 3, 1928 2,118,099 Mirk May 24, 1938 2,333,399 Wagner Nov. 2, 1943 2,424,098 Kaskowras July 15, 1947 2,582,360 Sheridan Jan. 15, 1952 

